Former Kentucky Wesleyan Panther Jordan Jacks is continuing his journey through professional basketball by signing to play with Jaibos Tampico in Mexico.
Jacks has been all over the globe, playing in Iceland, Finland, Luxembourg, Cyprus before signing this new contract.
He played with Lathi basketball in Finland following graduation from Kentucky Wesleyan in 2017 then left mid-season to Iceland.
In 2018 Jacks returned to Finland and won a championship with the Raiders Basket. A year later he made his way to Luxembourg and joined Avanti Mondorf.
He most recently played with Omonia BC in Cyprus before waiting for an offer to return to professional basketball once the season came to a close—then Mexico came calling.
“I was blessed and fortunate to not have to wait long for teams to contact my agent,” Jacks said. “I got back home in mid-March from my previous team I played with in Cyprus. Going into the upcoming season will be my fifth professional contract.”
Jacks said he credits his time at Kentucky Wesleyan as a major factor in his growth as the player he has become today.
“Going to Kentucky Wesleyan was the best decision of my collegiate career,” Jacks said. “I love the community of Owensboro. It was truly like a second home there. Playing for Kentucky Wesleyan and Coach Happy taught me a lot. Kentucky Wesleyan has a strong basketball history with the eight national championships so playing there people and fans expect greatness which means winning. Coach Happy challenged me mentally and physically on and off the court. He never guaranteed me anything but gave me the choice to work for whatever I wanted to be as a basketball player. Being able to watch him and the coaching staff and my teammates prepare just challenged me more in what I wanted to become”
Now Jacks will face a familiar challenge off the court, in dealing with being in another country away from home.
“The biggest challenge playing overseas or even heading to Latin America is being away from my family and missing the holidays,” Jacks said.
Despite this, Jacks is more than excited for the opportunity to play overseas and is ready to get to work.
“I am looking forward to continuing to make a name for myself and trusting the process,” Jacks said. “I trust in the work I put into my craft everyday and I am very excited about the upcoming season”
Most of all, Jacks is ready to steadily improve and come in and make a difference with Jaibos Tampico with his abilities on the court and leadership capabilities.
“Although I bring my skills to every team, being a leader is essential to be able to push my teammates to be the best and challenge them every day,” Jacks said.
